Grant will help Sheriff's Office fight car thefts

By BILL VARIAN

© St. Petersburg Times, published June 23, 2000

Some people actually like being pulled over by the police.

They get stickers put on their windows that encourage law enforcement to stop their car during the early morning hours for no reason other than to make sure it hasn't been stolen.

The Citrus County Sheriff's Office has won a $17,905 state grant to expand on the so-called Combat Auto Theft program and other prevention initiatives in the wake of sharply increasing numbers of car thefts.

The Sheriff's Office was one of 27 Florida law enforcement agencies to secure a portion of $1.2-million through the Florida Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention Authority and the state Office of Attorney General. The money comes from 18 cents of the $1 surcharge on motor vehicle registrations.

It is the first time that the Citrus County Sheriff's Office has received money through the annual program, said Rick Nuss, executive director of the state authority, which reviewed 37 applications for grants. By qualifying for the initiation grant, the Sheriff's Office is eligible to seek grants for similar amounts of money the next two years.

Auto thefts in Citrus County still number only in the dozens. But the number of thefts in 1999, 143, was 13 percent more than recorded the previous year. Most of those, about 90 percent, were reported to the Sheriff's Office.

Most of the thefts appear to be random and spread throughout the county, according to the agency's grant application, so the money will be spent largely on educating people on how better to keep from being a victim.

In its grant application, the agency argued that population growth likely will lead to more auto thefts without increased prevention efforts. Through the application, the Sheriff's Office pledges to try to decrease the number of auto thefts by 5 percent from October to September 2001.

The money will be used to:

Increase the number of presentations before civic groups and at community events. A booth would be set up at least quarterly at the Crystal River Mall, county fair or home shows.

Purchase supplies for the CAT program to increase the number of participants from the 299 who had applied at the time that the grant application was written. This portion of the money would be used to maintain a data base of participants as well as pay for bright yellow decals, to be placed in the rear window of a car, that allow officers to pull the vehicle over between 1 and 5 a.m.

Distribute anti-theft devices such as the Club, which can be placed on the steering wheel of a car to help prevent theft.

Etch vehicle identification numbers on vehicle windows to make them easier to identify.

The Sheriff's Office has five detectives assigned to investigate crimes against property. They spend about 10 percent of their time on auto thefts, according to the grant application. None of the money would go toward increasing staffing.

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